Saturday, April 17, 2010

After my DJ gig on Monday night, Andrea and I walked over to Eastern Standard to get dinner and drinks. For my first cocktail, I asked bartender Josh Taylor for the Casablanca off of the infusion section of the menu. "A thousand and one pleasures to be yours" was the subtitle underneath the drink name, and Josh more aptly described the drink as a Toronto variation. The menu listed both dates and vanilla flavors; however, the vanilla was not in the whiskey but in the housemade rock candy syrup. When I inquired about the ginger bitters, Josh replied that they were his creation and were a result of needing to use an excess of ginger purchased for an event last year.

The Casablanca started with a whiskey, ginger, and herbal nose. The dates provided a richness that mellowed the whiskey, and the drink was minty and slightly spicy on the swallow. The S. Maria al Monte proved to be more gentle in this drink than the Fernet Branca in the Toronto.

who? what?

The euphemisms are getting a bit stale, suffice to say: four people in Boston -- two of whom are much more prolific writers than the other two (including the originator of this blog, who has no excuse apart from laziness) -- who drink and tell.(Note: If you are looking for virgin cocktails, check out the companion MocktailVirgin blog!)

drink & tell: a boston cocktail book

A collection of drink recipes, techniques, and Boston bar recommendations from Frederic Yarm, one of the authors of the Cocktail Virgin Slut blog. Available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and The Boston Shaker (on their shelves and via their webstore). Follow the buzz on D&T's Facebook fan page!